Review of The Sweet Hereafter (1997) by Aliya D — 11 Jun 2008

I can't fathom anyone watching this movie through without being deeply moved, at times disturbed, and shaken to some degree. It really does delve down into the dark night of the soul, like the cinematic equivalent of a Sylvia Plath poem.

It's a film about loss. Innocence lost, the questionability of ideals and motives. The end of childhood. Yet Egoyan doesn't deliver a totally bleak jeremiad here, either. Human beings are flawed, but they also are capable of growth and wisdom, though both are hard earned.

As usual with Egoyan films, nature is at a distance and removed from human beings and the turmoil brimming over inside them; the beautiful British Columbia vistas are in contrast to the tragic event that occurs.

The cast is excellent and feed off of each other's honest performances. No wrong notes here. Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, and this cast of mostly unknowns (though not to Canadians who would recognize them immediately!), give wonderful performances worthy of note, compelling and moving.

Cinematography also up to the usual high standard; music and soundtrack is haunting and mesmerizing.